[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 12 (Thursday, January 23, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S1462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2001

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need for 
hate crimes legislation. In the last Congress Senator Kennedy and I 
introduced the Local Law Enforcement Act, a bill that would add new 
categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence 
of any kind is unacceptable in our society.
  I would like to describe a terrible crime that occurred October 7, 
2001 in Mira Mesa, CA. A man of Indian descent was knocked out with a 
baseball bat in what was described as a hate crime linked to the 
September 11 backlash. The victim told police he was walking beside the 
road when he heard someone yell an ethnic slur. He was then hit on the 
head and knocked unconscious. A woman came to his aid and told him he 
had been hit by two white males with an aluminum baseball bat. The 
victim was treated at a local hospital.
  I believe that Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to 
defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Local Law 
Enforcement Enhancement Act is a symbol that can become substance. I 
believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we 
can change hearts and minds as well.

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